Our series is held in the main lecture hall of the newly renovated Cambridge Public Library, with spacious seats and a welcoming environment. In the hub of the city, the expanded library has become quite a community gathering spot, and the renovated building with its new addition has been winning architectural awards since it was completed in 2010.

Evenings with Experts: 2015

A Public Lecture Series at the Cambridge Public Library

First Wednesdays of each month, from February through May7:00 — 8:30 pm

PLEASE JOIN US — Events are free and open to all.

Did you know that New England is home to more than 50 species of native terrestrial orchids? Although not as showy as the tropical orchids of the florist trade, our hardy species have fascinated botanists for centuries. Adapted to specific habitats from Maine’s northern woodlands to the sands of Nantucket, these orchids are remarkable in their diversity and their adaptations. Discover more about our New England orchids, their haunts, their peculiar lifestyles, their rarity, and their pollination systems. Learn which ones are cultivated in the nursery trade and adapted to gardens, and how we can conserve all of these species.

Bill Brumback has worked for the New England Wild Flower Society for several decades. His contributions to the conservation of our region’s flora are extensive, and his work to propagate and protect Robbin’s cinquefoil in New Hampshire’s White Mountain led to its recovery and subsequent removal from the U.S. Endangered Species list. He has been studying the rare native orchid, small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides), for thirty years and claims that he still doesn’t understand it.

Native meadows are increasingly popular, particularly as alternatives to lawn, yet few types of landscapes are more misunderstood. Inadequate planning and use of poorly adapted plants commonly lead to failure. Better results can be achieved when the patterns and processes of naturally occurring meadows are incorporated into all aspects of design, installation, and management. More than one-year wonders, meadow plantings modeled on actual meadow communities provide long-term, easily managed landscapes that harbor a myriad of birds and butterflies, and provide color and texture throughout the year. Join native meadow expert Larry Weaner to learn concrete, practical ways of creating dynamic and stunning long-lived meadows. Case studies of both multi-acre projects and small-scale residential meadows will be shown.

Larry Weaner has been creating native landscapes since 1977. His firm has a national reputation for combining ecological restoration with garden design traditions, and he was featured in the December issue of "Landscape Architecture Magazine." His projects have received numerous awards and been included on tours given by the American Horticultural Society, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and many other organizations. He is the founder of New Directions in the American Landscape, a conference series with a national following that has run for more than two decades. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Rhode Island Society of Landscape Architects. (1.5 CEUs available from the ASLA)

Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem—more than 85 percent of the world's flowering plants and two-thirds of our agricultural crops depend upon them for reproduction. In many places, however, their essential service is at risk. Loss of habitat due to urbanization and use of pesticides are causing declines in both managed honey bee colonies and native pollinator populations. Come learn about the fascinating and diverse world of New England’s native pollinators—bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and wasps— and about the latest science-based approaches to reversing pollinator declines by protecting and managing habitat for these vital insects.

Past Programs in 2015

February 4Humans and Wildlife: The New ImbalanceJim Sterba, Author of Nature WarsBy the late 19th century, North American forests and wildlife were in dire straits. For nearly 400 years, arriving Europeans had removed trees and killed off wild birds and animals to the point that a few enlightened leaders sounded the alarm, and the conservation movement was born. Three slow but remarkable transformations followed. Forests reclaimed huge swaths of abandoned cropland. Many threatened wildlife populations, restocked in refuges and protected, slowly grew back to health. Then, people moved out of cities after World War II, creating a mosaic of suburban, exurban and rural sprawl where family farms once thrived. Now, this new habitat is filled with people who want to “leave nature alone,” and many wildlife populations are proliferating out of balance. We have mounting community conflicts over what to do, or not to do, about deer, beavers, Canada Geese, and other species. As the dominant player in our ecosystems, it is time for us to overcome our reluctance and embrace our stewardship role.

Jim Sterba is an internationally recognized author and correspondent who has reported for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for more than four decades. His book, Nature Wars, published in 2012, has earned critical acclaim and catalyzed an important national conversation about wildlife management. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation.

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Location, Parking & Transit Info

Limited public parking is available under the Library, with an entrance ramp on Broadway. Fee is $1/hour. Limited metered spaces, as well as Cambridge resident street spaces, are available in the area. Please carpool if you can.